The 15th class of the Berks County Basketball Hall of Fame includes eight members who will be recognized at halftime of the BCIAA girls basketball championship game Friday, Feb. 18, at Santander Arena.
Entering from girls basketball as selected by the 3 Point Goal Organization are Lisa Auman, Bob Birmingham and Donna Werner Trexler.
Selected by the Reading Berks Basketball Association in the old-timers category (1972 and prior) are Bill Kline and Don Sechler, in the modern-day players category (after 1972) are Charlie Copp and Joe Linderman, and in the coach/official/contributor category is Dick Sherry.
Lisa Auman: Scored 1,285 points at Daniel Boone and helped lead the Blazers to a 94-0 regular season record. As a senior in 1989-90, she led Daniel Boone to the Berks title, the District 3 final and the PIAA semifinals. She was a two-time All-Berks selection and also was named the Berks Player of the Year, and won the Catherine Rhodes Award. She went on to be a two-year starter at La Salle. Following her playing career, she was a head coach at Exeter for two years and an assistant coach at Daniel Boone for two years. She is also a member of the Daniel Boone Sports Hall of Fame.
Bob Birmingham: Birmingham has compiled a 615-295 record in 33 years as the coach at Holy Name and Berks Catholic, going into Saturday’s Berks playoffs. He is all-time in girls coaching wins in Berks. His teams have won five Berks titles and four District 3 titles. He led Holy Name to the state championship game in 1993 and guided the Saints to the state final in 2018. Birmingham is also a member of the Holy Name and Berks Catholic athletic halls of fame, as well as the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Donna Werner Trexler: Scored 1,704 points at Fleetwood. As a senior in 1979-80, she led the county in scoring and was named All-Berks. She holds the school record for points in a game (37), rebounds in a game (28), career points and career rebounds (1,255). She played collegiately at Delaware, where she had 1,088 points and 873 rebounds. As a senior, she was named team MVP and was an all-conference selection. She is also a member of the Fleetwood Sports Hall of Fame.
Bill Kline: Scored 1,073 points in his career at Mount Penn. As a senior in 1967-68, he led the Mounts to the Berks title, a district title and the program’s first state championship. He a first-team All-State selection and an All-Berks pick. He received the Jack Flowers Award as the county’s top senior. He attended Wyoming and played one year on the freshman team. He is also a member of the Mount Penn Sports Hall of Fame.
Don Sechler: A 1967 Kutztown grad, he scored 1,110 points and helped the Cougars win county titles during his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons. Received the Jack Flowers Award as the county’s top senior. Played collegiately at Delaware Valley, where he finished with career school records of 1,784 points and 1,357 rebounds. Was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the 12th round of the 1971 NBA draft. Coached at Kutztown for two years and was an instrumental member of the Kutztown Youth Basketball program for 20 years. Also a member of the Kutztown and Delaware Valley University Sports Halls of Fame.
Charlie Copp: The 2000 Tulpehocken grad holds the career record for most 3-pointers in Berks history with 308. He scored over 2,440 points to rank as the second-leading scorer in Berks history. Led the county in scoring during each of his four years, and was a second-team All-State pick as a senior. Received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger Award as Berks County’s top senior male player. Attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned four letters. Started at point guard during his senior year and received the Big 5 Sportsmanship Award. Won two Ivy League titles with the Quakers. Now is an assistant coach at Emory University in Atlanta.
Joe Linderman: The 1996 Central Catholic grad was a two-time All-Berks pick and scored 1,304 points in his career for the Cardinals. Selected to the All-Berks County team twice. Won the Berks title, two District 3 championships and appeared in a state final during his career. Named the Pennsylvania Small School Player of the Year in 1996. Received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger and the Jack Flowers Awards as the county’s top senior player. Played in college at Drexel, where he earned America East Rookie of the Year honors and was a three-time all-conference selection. Finished as the fourth leading scorer in school history with 1,840 points. Currently coaches the Berks Catholic junior high girls team. Formerly served as an assistant at Central Catholic, Exeter, Fleetwood and Alvernia. Was the head coach at Fleetwood for three years.
Dick Sherry: Won the PIAA Class C Championship as the head coach at West Reading in 1961. Coached at Wyomissing for 14 years and finished with a 362-188 record. Won three Berks titles and two District 3 championships at Wyomissing. Was the top scorer at Schuylkill Haven, from where he graduated in 1952, and played semi-pro basketball with the Schuylkill Haven Black Knights. Received a basketball scholarship from Muhlenberg College and was a three-year starter.
Source: Berkshire mont